April 2025
Since the last update, the project experienced delays as the team worked through developments that will benefit the 1st Avenue North community.
Over the past few months, the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and the city of Billings have partnered to improve the stormwater discharge system in the 1st Avenue North and Exposition Drive areas to address flooding and drainage issues. The city owns and operates the trunkline, a large pipe that serves as the wastewater collection system’s main artery and the discharge sites for stormwater in the area.
After engineering design consultant Sanderson Stewart, now known as Sanbell, submitted the plan-in-hand (PIH) deliverables, as reported in the June 2024 project update, the city requested that MDT and Sanbell implement significant changes to the storm drainage to better serve the area. These changes impacted both the 1st Avenue North-Billings project and the Exposition Drive & 1st Avenue North project, another MDT project currently being managed by a different design team. Exposition Drive is adjacent and serves as the downstream recipient of storm drainage from the 1st Avenue North area.
The construction order of these projects is determined by the stormwater flow. Therefore, the Exposition Drive & 1st Avenue North project must be completed first to include a discharge system and a larger trunkline, followed by the 1st Avenue North-East Segment, the Middle Segment, and finally, the West Segment projects.
Due to rising costs and the additional scope of work, construction on the Exposition Drive project has been rescheduled from 2026 to 2027, and the 1st Avenue North-Billings project, East Segment, is now planned for 2029. This schedule is subject to change due to design considerations, funding availability, contractor availability, right-of-way acquisitions, and other unforeseen factors.
Now that the improvement plans for the stormwater discharge system have been established, Sanbell is continuing its work on the final design plans for the 1st Avenue North-Billings project and incorporating the necessary changes. Project updates will continue to be shared as the project progresses.
June 2024
We have reached important milestones on the 1st Avenue North–Billings project.
Engineering design consultant Sanderson Stewart submitted plan-in-hand (PIH) deliverables for the East Segment project to the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) for review on May 10, 2024. The PIH review meeting was held on June 6, 2024. The East Segment project includes 1st Avenue North from the railroad crossing between North 22nd Street and North 20th Street to North 9th Street as well as a short portion of North 13th Street.
Once all necessary changes identified through MDT’s PIH review are incorporated, final plans for the East Segment project will be shared with the public at an open house tentatively scheduled for late 2025. Reconstruction of the East Segment project is anticipated to begin in 2027. This schedule is subject to change based on the completion of final design, impacts from the city of Billings’ Stormwater Master Plan project and other adjacent projects, contractor availability, and other unforeseen factors.
In our last update, we noted that the city of Billings was moving forward with a study to evaluate the conversion of Montana Avenue and 1st Avenue North between Division Street and North 18th Street from one-way to two-way traffic. The city council voted against funding the study as it was presented. The city of Billings remains interested in exploring the conversion of those two streets to two-way traffic, but no such conversion is planned as of now.
January 2024
The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and engineering design consultant Sanderson Stewart continue to make progress on the design of the 1st Avenue North-Billings project.
As a result of meetings last fall, Sanderson Stewart and the City of Billings, with the support of MDT, have begun a study to evaluate the possibility of converting 1st Avenue North between Division Street and North 18th Street from one-way to two-way traffic. The goal of the study is to evaluate the impact of the conversion to two-way traffic on other major streets and intersections in the downtown area.
The study will also evaluate five-lane versus three-lane street configurations, specifically through the central business district near North 27th Street. Based on the study results, the City of Billings and MDT will determine the likelihood of reconfiguring 1st Avenue North to two-way traffic. If this reconfiguration occurs, the one-way eastbound couplet Montana Avenue will be converted to two-way traffic as well. The timing of reconfiguration will be determined based on the 1st Avenue North-Billings reconstruction project.
The study is anticipated to be completed this spring or early summer. Once complete, MDT will share the study’s findings and impacts on the 1st Avenue North-Billings project.